Hilton Hotels Corp. said strong demand, "primarily among business travelers, resulted in high single-digit or double-digit average daily rate increases

" at many U.S. gateway hotels. "High occupancy levels are enabling us to achieve a more desirable mix of business," said HHC co-chairman and CEO Stephen Bollenbach in a prepared statement. Overall, Hilton said North America average daily rate across all brands rose nearly 8 percent to $108.51 and occupancy increased 2.6 points to 67.5 percent.